Writer | Editor

Women in Geek: Lindsay Cummings

Today is day 2 of my Women in Geek series, where I talk to different women in different lines of “geeky” work. If you missed the first interview with Sarah Rodriguez from Geek & Sundry and Nerdy but Flirty, click here to check it out!

Today I’m interviewing Lindsay Cummings. Lindsay is an author, and she’s got a few books published by various imprints of Harper Collins. You should definitely check out her books The Murder Complex, the prequel novella to The Murder Complex called The Fear Trials, and in September you can buy the first book in her Balance Keepers series, The Fires of Calderon. Here’s what Lindsay had to say about her part of the geek industry, check it out:

What do you do in geek culture?

I’m an author, so I write books for a living. Specifically, YA scifi and MG fantasy. Total geek status!

Do you have a day job, or does this pay your bills?

I’m blessed enough to be able to do this full time!

How did you get started in writing?

I always loved reading and writing, but I never thought I’d be able to do it for a real career. When I graduated high school, I was super sick for several years with Chronic Fatigue issues. I ended up writing just to give myself something to do…and somehow, it turned into a career! I found an incredible literary agent and she found my books great homes at Harpercollins.

What first got you interested in writing?

Reading great books!

Who are some of your female geek/author role models, and why?

JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins, totally. They made their dreams come true, and they knocked them out of the park!! Plus their books are just incredible.

Do find that your readers are more critical of your opinions and stories because you’re a woman?

I actually haven’t run into any of that yet! My readers are pretty awesome, though!

What is the best thing about working in your line of work?

I get to work from home! And I get to stay in my pajamas all day. Also, the fans are just so lovely and supportive.

Right now when most people think “fantasy”, the go-to book is Game of Thrones, and the YA market is very saturated with dystopian-esque books. Is it intimidating to be an author in those fields, or is it more inspiring?

It can be incredibly intimidating. There are some major rockstar authors ahead of me, but honestly, I have learned that I can only do what I can do. I try my best to write great books, and whether I become a huge success or stay in a tiny niche market is okay with me. I’m still doing what I love, and that’s what really matters!

How do you handle, if you’ve encountered it at all, the negativity against women in your field?

I still haven’t run into any of this. I think in the writing field, people don’t care if you’re male or female, which is awesome!

There are lots of women out there who want to break into the so-called “geek industry”, be it comics, gaming, writing, or fashion. What kind of advice do you have for them?

Just go for it. You can’t reach your dreams if you don’t really put it all out there. Work hard, make connections, and above all, don’t ever quit.

You call your fans Booknerdigans. What is the coolest thing you’ve seen develop since you started that community, be it friendships, fan-art, or something completely different?

It’s super awesome that we’ve almost reached 30k uses of the hashtag! I didn’t think people would actually use it, or get into it like they have. Even the Divergent movie team used the word. I was like….WHAT?! YES!

What do you wish people knew about what you do? Are there common misconceptions about what it means to do what you do?

People often think that published authors are super rich and famous…but that’s not always the case! Writing is really hard, really lonely work, and often we struggle just to pay monthly bills! I think that having fans reach out to authors is incredible, and something they should do more of, to help keep us going when it gets tough! 🙂